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Aide to fugitive Ukrainian ex-PM wounded in latest Moscow car bombing
A car bomb in Moscow wounded Sergei Zavorotny, a former adviser to Ukraine’s ex-prime minister Mykola Azarov, who is now a journalist and commentator. Azarov said Zavorotny was in a “rather critical” condition in hospital; the blast comes amid a series of attacks on military and prominent figures linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Zavorotny, 72, worked for Azarov in Kyiv until 2014, when Azarov fled to Russia after President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted. A 2020 US Senate report described Zavorotny as a Russian foreign intelligence officer involved in influence operations at the time. The Moscow explosion followed a car bomb in St Petersburg that killed a Russian military member, while overnight strikes by both countries also caused deaths in several regions.
In short
- Former adviser Sergei Zavorotny was wounded in a Moscow car bombing.
- His condition was described as “rather critical”.
- The blast followed a fatal car bombing in St Petersburg.
Explained simply
Mykola Azarov was Ukraine’s prime minister until 2014, when President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted after months of protests. Azarov left Ukraine for Russia, where he has remained; Sergei Zavorotny had worked as one of his advisers in Kyiv.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, attacks and air strikes have affected both countries, including people connected to Russia’s military and public life. The reported explosion sits within that wider conflict, whose effects reach beyond the front line.
Europe Government Politics Russia-Ukraine War World